New York Mets fans are thrilled by Jefry Yan’s acrobatic celebrations after strikeouts. His moves have taken social media by storm. But on a recent Saturday, his enthusiasm got the best of him during a dramatic win over the Washington Nationals.

As the Mets faced the Nationals at Citi Field, Yan stepped up for his debut. In the top of the ninth inning, with an 0-2 count and two outs, he believed he had sent his fastball perfectly to strike out Nasim Nuñez. However, the home plate umpire disagreed. Yan, already leaping in celebration, realized too late that no strike three had been called.

Upon landing, Yan humorously signaled for a challenge by tapping his hat, prompting an Automatic Ball-Strike (ABS) review. Despite the review, the call of a ball remained. The light moment was noted by Gary Cohen, the Mets play-by-play announcer, who commented, “Now, that was funny.”

Yan quickly regained focus, and two pitches later, struck out Nuñez with a slider. This time his celebration coincided with the umpire’s call. At that point in the game, the Mets were trailing by a single run as they moved into the bottom of the ninth inning. The team’s offense was determined to secure a victory.

Brett Baty sparked the inning with a walk. Jorge Polanco followed with a single, putting the winning run on base. Francisco Alvarez then delivered a double to left field, tying the game and advancing the winning run to third base. The final act came from Francisco Lindor, who singled to bring home the winning run, securing a walk-off victory in the ninth inning.

With this victory, Yan earned his first MLB win after pitching 1.2 scoreless innings. Yan, a 29-year-old rookie, has experienced an impressive year that began in the minors. Fans have become familiar with his unique strikeout celebrations, which have been showcased over his initial five appearances with the Mets.

While Yan’s celebrations are eagerly anticipated, he might want to ensure the umpire confirms the strikeout before celebrating. Nonetheless, performing in front of the Mets fans at home made the event memorable for him.

Yan reflected on his first appearance at Citi Field, expressing gratitude for the warm welcome through a translator. His Saturday performance concluded with him striking out three batters and maintaining a 1.80 ERA.